Old but good read
Operation Daybreak: The Inside Story
By: Ben Cal, PNA
As reprinted from The Manila Times
dtd 08, 09, 10 Jul 02
OPLAN Daybreak, as expected of a typical military operation, was marked with utmost secrecy. Now, the details can be told.
Oplan Daybreak, a special commando operation conceptualized by the AFP Southern Command (Southcom), was designed primarily to rescue the last three remaining hostages of the extremist Abu Sayyaf- American missionary couple Martin and Gracia Burnham and Filipino nurse Ediborah Yap.
The top secret project was only known to a handful of top defense and military personalities among them Defense Secretary Angelo T. Reyes, AFP chief of staff Gen Roy A Cimatu, Army chief Lt Gen Dionisio Santiago and Southcom chief Maj Gen Ernesto Carolina, and the men involved in the highly risky undertaking.
For six months, Oplan Daybreak was under wraps. Military strategists and planners knew from the outset the risk was high, so was the stake because it involved national security.
Groundwork for the highly secret operation began in earnest in the latter part of January. This, when it was determined the Abu Sayyaf was not interested in releasing the hostages.
Recruiting assets
Oplan Daybreak went into motion. Without wasting time, the 3rd Brigade of the Philippine Marines under Col Renato Miranda clandestinely recruited some assets, including Abu Sayyaf members.
"Through these assets and prior intelligence build up, the AFP managed to carry out an elaborate intelligence operation that allowed them to track down the ASG movements," Carolina said in his post-operation report to Cimatu.
Target of the operation were the top leaders of the ASG such as Khadaffy Janjalani, Aldam Tilao alias Abu Sabaya, the Abu Sayaff spokesman who always taunted the military, and Isnilon Hapilon, among others.
Before Oplan Daybreak was effected, the government troops clashed with the group of Sabaya and Isnilon 15 times since the bandits landed on June 1, 2001 in Tuburan, Basilan with 20 hostages they seized from the Dos Palmas Resort in Palawan on May 27, 2001. There the bandits grabbed 60 more hostages, including children and women. Prior to this the Abu Sayyaf had kidnapped 42 other innocent civilians, bringing the total number of their captives to 102.
Showing their ruthlessness, the Abu Sayyaf beheaded 18 of the hostages, including a foreigner, American tourist Guillermo Sobero.
Sabaya said the head of Sobero was their gift to the Philippine government on the occasion of the 103rd Independence Day celebration on June 12 last year.
The Abu Sayyaf also beheaded two Filipino hostages.
But the biggest beheading binge by the Abu Sayyaf was in Barangay Balobo, Lamitan where they cut off the heads of 11 captives without mercy.
The AFP particularly the Army's Light Reaction Company (LRC) and Marine troopers intensified their manhunt for the bandits to rescue the three hostages.
In June last year, the military arrested Karim Hassan, alias Karim Kiram, bodyguard of Janjalani, in Zamboanga City and Hanshim Abdulajid, an Abu courier in Metro Manila.
More arrests
The following month, 13 more Abu terrorists were arrested. They were Nabsmi Saabdula, alias Commander Global, a ranking Abu leader; Saltimar Salit, alias Toto Amar; Alip Sabdan, alias Abu Jar; and Javier Sampang, alias Wilson Asanin; his wife, Juring Manjarun Asanin; and Nuhman Dompol Asanin, an ASG liaison officer; Juris King, the alleged gun supplier to the ASG; Basuan Bael, right hand man of Janjalani; and Arena Blanco Kaing Said, who carries a P1million price on his head.
In September last year, soldiers arrested Mulhayser Tilao, Sabaya's brother; Jimmy Theng, the ideological and spiritual leader of the ASG; Itang Awal Isnual; Daud Tindaling Korong; Manhan Jumadil, a top aide of Ghalib Andang alias Commander Robot, who surrendered in Sulu; Mohammad Faizal Ijajili Dompal alias Faizal Abbas, who carries a P1million price on his head; Anni Sailini, alias Omar Abubakar; Itting Sailaini; Mario Benigno alias Yakan, allegedly the procurement officer of Abu; Abdulajib Ngayap who carried a P1million reward on his head; and Hadji Sabtali as Lidjalin Sakandal who both carried P150,000 price on their head, who surrendered.
Another ASG who was also captured last September was Gader Said who allegedly participated in the kidnapping of 21 mostly foreigners in Sipadan, Malaysia in 2000.
During their tactical interrogation, they provided Southcom more intelligence information on the operation of the Abu Sayyaf in Basilan.
Source:
AFP CMO